WHO IS KING JAMES I? HOW DID HE COME TO BE KING AFTER ELIZABETH? WHAT IS HIS LEGACY? WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE IN JAMES’S COURT? WHAT CONNECTION DID SHAKESPEARE HAVE TO KING JAMES?
King James I of England had a great genuine love for literature and has a legacy that still lasts till this day. James was born on June 19, 1566. He ascended to the throne of Scotland on July 24, 1567, when he was 13 months old, after his mother, Mary Queen of Scots was abdicated or renounced from the throne. As king of Scotland he made considerable contributions to the nations poetry and became quite interested in English drama. When Queen Elizabeth died on March 24, 1603 James took the throne being Elizabeth's cousin. James continued to write poetry and he also wrote many works on his theories of Divine Right. Divine Right was a doctrine that said a monarch got their power to rule from God, rather than the people. John Butler described in his article, James I of England , on "Luminarium.org" that James had a special relationship with God, being king, he could write religious poetry from a special viewpoint.
In 1604 James authorized a group of 50 scholars to create a revision of the English translation of the Bible, Dexter Barbee discusses in his article, The King James Bible, on the website "Elizabethan England". The scholars were among "the best Biblical scholars and linguists of their day" Barbee claims. King James's version of the Bible showed up in 1611, and it allowed all English speaking people to read and hear the Bible. Previously the Catholic Church forbid anybody but priests to read the Bible. All Bibles were in Latin too, the Catholic Church had made it illegal to translate it into English. If somebody were to translate it into English they would be burned at a stake. The book's elegant style had a huge influence on English speaking authors at the time, and the bible soon became the most popular English book of the time. The King James Version of the Bible would not be revised until 1881 and even after it was revised most people and churches still preferred King James's version (Barbee). One of King James's first official acts as king was taking over the Chamberlains Men, an acting company that William Shakespeare was evolved in, and renaming them the King's Men. James believed the acting company was not only for the pleasure of the king, but also for the people. This was a contrary view to Elizabeth who believed that the company existed only to serve her. James and his court were enthusiastic play goers and their tastes were highly influential on drama at the time. The company, The King's Men, performed frequently in James's court (at least twice as much as they had in Elizabeth's court), putting on eleven different plays between November of 1604 and October of 1605, including seven works by Shakespeare. They performed 107 times between the establishment of the new company and Shakespeare's death in 1616. King James may not have made the best contributions to politics while he held the throne but he did make large contributions both the artistic and religious communities.
English 8-3
April 9, 2010
WHO IS KING JAMES I? HOW DID HE COME TO BE KING AFTER ELIZABETH? WHAT IS HIS LEGACY? WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE IN JAMES’S COURT? WHAT CONNECTION DID SHAKESPEARE HAVE TO KING JAMES?
King James I of England had a great genuine love for literature and has a legacy that still lasts till this day. James was born on June 19, 1566. He ascended to the throne of Scotland on July 24, 1567, when he was 13 months old, after his mother, Mary Queen of Scots was abdicated or renounced from the throne. As king of Scotland he made considerable contributions to the nations poetry and became quite interested in English drama. When Queen Elizabeth died on March 24, 1603 James took the throne being Elizabeth's cousin. James continued to write poetry and he also wrote many works on his theories of Divine Right. Divine Right was a doctrine that said a monarch got their power to rule from God, rather than the people. John Butler described in his article, James I of England , on "Luminarium.org" that James had a special relationship with God, being king, he could write religious poetry from a special viewpoint.
In 1604 James authorized a group of 50 scholars to create a revision of the English translation of the Bible, Dexter Barbee discusses in his article, The King James Bible, on the website "Elizabethan England". The scholars were among "the best Biblical scholars and linguists of their day" Barbee claims. King James's version of the Bible showed up in 1611, and it allowed all English speaking people to read and hear the Bible. Previously the Catholic Church forbid anybody but priests to read the Bible. All Bibles were in Latin too, the Catholic Church had made it illegal to translate it into English. If somebody were to translate it into English they would be burned at a stake. The book's elegant style had a huge influence on English speaking authors at the time, and the bible soon became the most popular English book of the time. The King James Version of the Bible would not be revised until 1881 and even after it was revised most people and churches still preferred King James's version (Barbee). One of King James's first official acts as king was taking over the Chamberlains Men, an acting company that William Shakespeare was evolved in, and renaming them the King's Men. James believed the acting company was not only for the pleasure of the king, but also for the people. This was a contrary view to Elizabeth who believed that the company existed only to serve
Works CitedBarbee, Dexter. "The King James Bible ." Elizabethan England. Springfield.il.us, n.d. Web. 4 Apr 2010. <http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/schools/springfield/eliz/Kingjamesbible.html>.
Bevington, David. Shakespeare . 1st. 1. San Francisco, California: Pearson Education, 2006. 109-116. Print.
Boyce, Charles. Shakespeare. New York: Round Table Press, 1990. Print.
Brown, Henry. "King James I: Shakespeare's Patron." Shakespeare Online London: J. M. Dent & sons, 02 Mar 2010. Web. 30 Mar 2010. <http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/patronjames.html>.
Butler, John. "James I of England." Luminarium . N.p., 22 Mar 2003. Web. 30 Mar 2010. <http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/james/jamesbio.htm>.
"James I." PBS. N.p., 2003. Web. 30 Mar 2010.
<http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/james/jamesbio.htm>.
Picard, Liza. Elizabeth. 1st. 1. London, England: St. Martin, 2003. 91, 211, 278. Print.